Middletown Warming Center To Open Daily Starting Nov. 18

MIDDLETOWN — — St. Vincent de Paul Middletown and downtown churches will open a nightly warming center throughout the winter for the city's homeless people beginning Nov. 18.

Councilman Joseph Bibisi said First Baptist Church, First United Methodist Church, the Church of the Holy Trinity and South Congregational Church will each host the warming center for a portion of the winter.

The common council was set to contribute $2,500 last week, but St. Vincent de Paul was able to raise enough money to fully fund the program, Bibisi said.

"The community came through big time," he said.

St. Vincent de Paul Director Ron Krom said he is expecting about 15 to 20 people a night. Two winters ago St. Vincent de Paul opened the soup kitchen dining room as a warming center and last winter the Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness organized the program at three local churches.

"We don't consider it a shelter," Krom said. "We don't provide beds. We don't provide meals. We provide a place for people to be safe and out of the cold. We were worried people might freeze to death outside."

First Baptist will host from Nov. 18 through the end of December, the Church of the Holy Trinity will host during January, South Congregational will host during February and First United Methodist will host the warming center in March.

The council provided $4,000 last winter to fund the center.

This year, St. Vincent de Paul received a $10,000 grant from the city health department and got donations from Middlesex Hospital, St. Pius X Church, River Valley Services, Seasons Federal Credit Union and the Liberty Bank Foundation, Krom said.

The warming center will be open nightly from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Each location will provide an area for seating and hot beverages, and sometimes snacks.

Bibisi said the Eddy Shelter at Connecticut Valley Hospital, run by the Connection, Inc., will be open daily for showers, and on Fridays for laundry. The city has purchased more than 200 bus passes to provide transportation for anyone who needs to get to either the warming center or the Eddy Shelter.

In the past, officials have opened city hall and the police department as daytime warming centers. In extreme cases, the city opens the emergency shelter at Middletown High School to lodge large groups of people over night.